PMQs: Starmer torn apart on welfare as Reeves in tears – POLITICO

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.

What they sparred about: Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch went toe to toe for the first time in weeks with the prime minister back in the country following his NATO and G7 summit outings. There was only one story in town: the government’s dramatic climbdown on welfare reforms, and the future of his Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

If you were under a rock: The welfare bill passed its second reading in the Commons Tuesday — but only after a huge reverse ferret that meant eligibility changes to the Personal Independence Payment benefit would kick in after a review by Disability Minister Stephen Timms. Many MPs were left very confused about what they were voting for, and ministers have been struggling to explain exactly what impact the climbdown will have on the public finances.